Work at U.S. Navy — Reviews by Employees

i just wanna say if you ever decide to join the navy, make sure you go FTS, or full time support. this is especially helpful if you have a family because being FTS, you will 99% of the time never set foot on a ship or get deployed. you might get deployed if you specifically ask for it, but besides that you wont. for me, its pretty much like a 9-5 job, except i go in at 730 and get out at 4. i come home every single night and no matter what happens, i know im going to get a paycheck every 1st and 15th of the month, so pay is not too bad.
respect is ok, i guess average, but you do get it more based on rank.
benefits are pretty good, im especially excited cuz im getting FREE lasik surgery next month. you also get money to pay food and rent which you dont have to be taxed for at the end of the year.
job security is good cuz you wont get fired too easy and you cant quit hahaha.
work/life balance is actually really good in the FTS community. even though its the navy, at my command, they really care about family. if i need to attend to my family and need to leave early, theyll let me. or if i have to take time off, they dont mind. im really lucky in this sense because FTS is almost always shore duty and i dont work weekends.
career wise, ive been in a year and am already an e4, which is pretty good. theres a lot of potential for growth IF U TRY.
Location sucks cuz you dont really get to choose too many places where you can go. i didnt want to come to texas, but o well, they made me.
my coworkers are alright. we have A LOT of fun at work. we're busy, but we always have time to joke around and have a good time. you build real comradery in the navy, a major plus.
work environment, not bad. it sucks when you cant just be lazy and call into work. i miss those days hahaha

This is what alot of people won't tell you about the Navy if your thinking about joining this is not going to be negative or positive this is going to be the truth and I still keep in touch with alot of people in the Navy so this is something you should read before you decide to sign up. First of all I can only speak from the enlistment part of the service not the officer part. So this is for people who are thinking about enlisting. When you take the asvab which is a test to decide which rate or job is best suited for you. Then the Navy offers you several choices of rates or jobs they will offer. Know first of all I was young when I joined if I knew what I know now I would have probably waited until I studied more for the test. In my opinion the recruiters for the Navy prey on the young and ignorant. Starting in junior high school on up. The recruiters are full of it because I worked with alot of them there is a big degree of you have to sign up now or else which is B.S. don't obligate yourself to anything until you have done all your homework on what your getting yourself into because once you pick a rate you are stuck with that until the end of your enlistment. Take your time don't listen to the recruiters they are telling only what benefits them not you. If you are going to enlist make sure it benefits you and not the recruiters if you take the asvab and don't score what you want you can always wait and take it again when you are good and ready.The recruiters will lie to you and say no you have to take what the offer you thats B.S. you can do whatever you want as long as you don't signed any papers or take an oath. Take your time in your dece
sion and don't listen to the recruiters. There are alot of guys I know that are still in the Navy that did not know this when they where being recruited and are stuck in rates they hate until the end of there enlistment. The bottom line is take your time don't listen to the recruiters look out for yourself remember they need you more then you need them if you are qualified. So don't rush if you don't like what they are offering you walk out or go to whatever service is going to give you the best offer. The better you score on the asvab the better chances you have of getting a good job.

When people join the Navy, they expect different things. When those don't happen people can usually feel upset, cheated, or defeated. Bottom line is a lot of people join the Navy before they ever work a real job and have no sense of responsibilty. Some do, but most don't. The pay I rated a bit high because it all depends on how long you stay in. Of course you don't get paid much at the bottom for the dirty work, but thats how it works. Plus the Benefits make up for pay. Most people respect the Military but some don't. Your job is secure because you CANNOT get fired no matter how dumb you are except for drug use. Work/Life balance is horrible because the navy besomes your life. Growth in the navy is all about how long you stay in and even when you get out you'll be hired before the kid out of college. Location I didn't rate because it all depends on what you like and who you work with. After all you do travel the world most of the time. (or atleast they say you do) Co-workers Competence? HA! the harder you work in the navy the more work they'll give you to do. The less you work, they'll be happy if you show up on time. Work enviroment is terrible considering the 18 hour days out to sea and 12 hours in port. Also the fact that you can sink kind of sucks. All in all, if your thinking of going navy for a career, go to college first. Join the navy as an officer and have the navy pay off your school loans. As an officer you get better pay, better advancement, much more respect, and better choices of duty stations and jobs. If your thinking of being enlisted...just talk to sailors who ARE enlisted...I'm sure they'll change your mind real quick. And dont believe recruiters...they seem genuine, but in the end they are just liers trying to make quotas and get a bonus.

I am stationed here on shore duty, while only working 1 day on for 12 hours and 2 days off, it is great. I have my family here and lots and lots of space in the great pacific northwest. People up here are so polite and the women are drop dead beautiful. This is one of the greatest places to work! Those that hate the navy are either bad sailors, disgruntled or are idiots for wanting to go get a "Real" job when this is the easiest job in the world, with ok pay and the best benefits ever, with money for college... Anyways, I love it.

I'm a Hospial Corpsman in the Navy and I have been in for about 7 months. Like many previous posters stated, the Navy is mostly what you make out of it. If you bring a bad attitude to work, you'll have a bad day at work. Unfortunately, some commands are worse than others, and based on the rating, some sailors work longer hours, but it still helps to stay positive and do your best.

For a kid coming out of high school with no initial vocational skills, even E-1 pay is pretty good. The respect you get depends on how well you do your job and for better or for worse, how much you are liked by your fellow sailors. Benefits are awesome, $80,000 for college and E5 housing pay? Yep. Full free medical? Check. Vacation? You bet. I can't speak for other rates, but in the Corpsman field there are many opportunities for career growth-everything from IDC school (one corpsman for a whole sub or ship) to a variety of specialized schools such as x-ray tech that have direct civilian counterparts, and the Navy pays for it all.

Obviously the Navy is a military organization, so its needs come before the individuals when it comes to family life, which makes raising a family difficult.

As always, it's a wise choice to do your research and work hard, if you're considering joining. I would highly recommend the Hospital Corpsman field, unless you don't want to go into combat since some Corpsmen work with Marines out in the field.

The problem with rating the Navy as an employer is that is varries on a command by command, rate by rate, situation by situation basis.

Some people are just not cut out to be in the military, wether by virtue of their attitude and personality, or by the fact that while they CAN do it, its just not their thing.

It is difficult to get "fired"...the military is a guaranteed pay check with lots of benefits. You will get to travel...the places you travel to will often be places you have no desire to go to. You will most likely be near beaches...some of them you might actually be able to swim in (or surf, or scuba dive). You will always have a place to stay and food to eat...if you are on a ship, that "place" will be tiny, and regardless of where you are--the food usually sucks. You get comparable vacation time to many salaried civilian jobs...but you take it at the convienence of your command. Your promotion depends largely on your knowledge, work ethic, and motivation...and your ability to kiss butt and look pretty in your uniform (sadly more important than your actual ability to do your job in most cases). You get to choose any career field they offer---some of the jobs are easy, some of them are hard, some of the jobs might require an hour or two of work a day, others 12 or more, some jobs will actually offer you a comparable training and experiance and preparation for the civilian sector...but most of them will not.

The Navy--or any other branch of the military--is not a CAREER for everyone...but it can still be a worthwhile experience that offers invaluable benefits (check out the new GI Bill) and the time and opportunity for many young adults to get away from home and become a better person...or not.

Like everything else in life, your experience is what YOU choose to make of it. Your success rests in YOUR attitude and ability to suck it up and take the bad with the good.

I have been in the Navy for 12 years; I’m a Chief Hospital Corpsman (E-7). I am also an Independent Duty Corpsman; it’s the only medical job in the United States where you can practice medicine without a license. I've worked hard, I've made many sacrifices, I’ve made friends and built a life I enjoyed and then had to pick it up and start all over someplace else(more than once). I've second and third guessed myself and my career choices many times...In fact, I found this site while searching for other employment, but every time I look into leaving military, I start missing it.
If you’re thinking about joining, please your research! A lot of people, who don’t like their military occupations, just aren’t a good fit for the job that THEY chose themselves! Of course there are some exceptions, but I ANY job has its ups and downs… Just read comments about any company on this website and you’ll forget what company they were talking about!
Pay- When you first come in, you go to school, you get paid, and all of your basic needs are met. After about 3 years, If you perform, keep a good attitude, and don’t get in trouble…you’ll get promoted. If you decide to stay in it becomes more completive, as with any job, the higher you go the fewer the positions.
Respect- Everybody needs to feel what they are doing is important and that they are a valued member of a team. It’s hard when you are the new guy cleaning the toilet…something I learned early on was to have another activity outside of work that makes you feel good when you might not feel fully utilized at work.
Work/Life- This can vary… when I was attached to a Marine battalion, we got 4 day weekends every holiday and then sometimes we got off on a weekday for no real reason at all. Then other times when I worked in a Hospital, I remember working Christmas, New Years and Thanksgiving….If you are deployed overseas, you may work every day of the week, for months on end! In my job rating, you get to transfer every 3 years (only in some jobs, do your research). I’ve never worked for the same boss for more than a year! How many people can say that!
Location/work environment- North Carolina, California, Hawaii, Japan, Haiti, Kenya, Korea, Europe, Philippines, Guam, and the sand box, been to them all, can't say I loved every place, but hey, it's the Navy, you may get to travel.
Co-workers- More than anything else, I love the people. The military is as diverse as modern society itself. My co-workers become my family. I entered the Navy as a corn-fed, narrow minded, white kid from the mid-west. Today, I feel I have lived, experienced, and seen more than ten lifetimes could ever imagine. My best advice is to choose a job rating you looked into(not something you saw in a movie), give it few years… you may never want to leave. Cheers!

the pay is awesome and i live and eat for free, go to school for free, full benefits and i can go higher in rank by a test of your skills.

Pay: Given the experience level the Sailor initially brings to the job (0), the pay is very good. The only debts you will have on Active Duty are those you WANT; you can live on ship or in barracks if on shore duty, and eat in the galley and spend your pay on what civilians would consider luxuries.

Respect: This can really vary by command; sometimes you can have a command where 3d classes are considerd "overpaid airmen" and treated as such, and sometimes you can have a command where the 1st classes and Chiefs really take the 3d and 2d class petty officers in and mentor them.

Benefits: All health care should be this good. Get sick, get treated. Period. No copays, no premiums, none of that BS.

Job Security: Really, the only way you'll lose your job before your enlistment expires is if you go to Captain's Mast a lot or get court-martialled or fail 3 PRTs. At the end of your hitch, you might have to change jobs to stay in, though.

Work/Life balance: If you're on a carrier, prepare to spend roughly 1/2 of your time at sea, and when you're in port 1 out of every 6 days.

Career potential: Really varies by rating; if you can make E-5 as a Reservist or E-6 as Active Duty you can stay and draw your pension.

Location: Really varies. A lot of Naval stations are in the "hood", but you'll always be close to the beach...

Co-worker competence: A lot of the time, you'll be in a shop with 1st class and Chiefs that know their stuff.

Work environment: Can be great on shore duty or can be horrible (reactor spaces or flight deck on the boat)

All told, I'm glad I spent my time full timin', but now that I have made 2nd as a Reservist and have @9 years to go, I would be daft to go back Active and hope I picked up 1st so I could still retire.

The Navy is a great place to get experience, see the world and make a difference, it is however, the military so there are some distinct differences between a career in the Navy and a civilian career. I have been out of the Navy for a few years now and have been able to reflect on the 6 years that I served in the Navy. The Navy is a tough career and a tough job. Its always going to be that way and it should be expected. The experiences are completely different then in the civilian world. People are much more competent and educated as well as motivated. While teamwork in the civilian sector is a "feel good" term, in the Navy it is critical, the team is more important then an individual so the Sailors that realize it will go far and do well.

I would reccomend the Navy to anyone interested, its a great life experience, something you can look back on with pride and will be some of the best memories of your life. That said, you will work very hard for pay that increases as rank is increased. You join the Navy, it doesnt join you. You will be challeneged to get through the door.